Apparatus for making bristle tufts



May 18, 1954 s. c. LANE APPARATUS FOR MAKING BRISTLE TUFTS 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 7. 1949 w W TUE mm MN w R M; mm %w w W Q m o i Q wm 1T9 U Q Mlhm m Q w il a .Wv ww k R 3 v,\\ AR Av: A TTOP/VEYS.

3 Sheets-Sheet 2 S. C. LANE III/III,

-JlHllllll INVENTOR. S. CUSHING LANE 4/5. ATTUEIVEYS.

May 18, 1954 APPARATUS FOR MAKING BRISTLE TUFTS Filed July 7, 1949 y 13, 1954 s. c. LANE 2,678,849

APPARATUS FOR MAKING BRISTLE TUFTS Filed July 7, 1949 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 PISA/60 v A m5.

v FIG] INVENTOR. S. CUSHING LANE I BY Patented May 18, 1954 UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE APPARATUS FOR MAKING BRISTLE TUFTS Seth Cushing Lane, Clarksburg, Mass.

Application July 7, 1949, Serial No. 103,408

8 Claims.

This invention relates to apparatus for making bristle tufts for brushes and the like. It relates particularly to an apparatus whereby self-sustaining bristle tufts may be produced in a continuous, mass production operation.

Heretofore, it has been common to form bristle tufts by inserting bundles of bristles into the back of the brush and then cementing or otherwise securing these tufts to the back of the brush. In some of the devices, the bristles are cut to predetermined lengths and the ends of the tufts tapered or otherwise formed in order to provide a desired configuration. In other forms of apparatus, the bristles may be inserted into the back of the brush, severed and then fused to the back of the brush or into a ferrule to form a selfsustaining brush construction.

None of the above methods has produced as a commercial article individual tufts of a predetermined size which can be sold in quantity and used by brush manufacturers by simply inserting them in a brush back and securing them in position in the back.

A rather widespread demand exists for bristle units which can be assembled as described above with a minimum of equipment.

An object of the present invention, therefore, is to provide an apparatus for producing such unitary self-sustaining bristle tufts.

Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus whereby bristle tufts may be produced automatically and at high production rates.

Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus which is capable of making bristle tufts of a desired cross-sectional shape and of substantially any desired length,

A further object of the invention is to provide unitary self-sustaining bristle tufts of a desired shape and size.

Other objects of the invention will become apparent from the following description of typical methods and apparatus embodying the present invention, as well as the tufts produced in accordance therewith.

In accordance with the present invention, I

have provided an apparatus wherein a plurality of long fusible fibers or bristles are shaped into a bundle of a predetermined cross-section, the end of the bundle is fused by heating to cause the individual fibers to be joined together and then the bundle is severed at a predetermined distance from the fused end to form a completed bristle tuft. This operation is repeated with each sequence of operation producing a separate bristle tuft.

This apparatus includes a means for advancing a bundle of elongated fusible fibers or bristles intermittently to a shaping or die member of a predetermined cross-section which shapes the bundle to the desired cross-section. During periods of rest of the bundle, a heating element is moved automatically into proximity with the end of the bundle and the fibers are thereby heated and fused together. The bundle of fibers is then advanced by movement of a suitable supporting and retaining member and the end portion of the bundle is severed by a knife to form the completed tuft. The apparatus includes also an ejecting member which ejects the completed tuft out of the supporting and retaining member. The mechanism described above can be driven from a single source of power and all of the operations, including advancing of the bundle, fusing of the ends of the fibers, severing of the fiber and discharge of the completed tufts are accomplished in timed relation so that a high rate of production can be obtained with a minimum of supervision on the part of the operator of the machine.

The shape and size of the tufts depends upon the setting of the machine and upon the shape of the die members therein. Thus, by using a die having a circular opening therein, cylindrical bristle tufts can be produced. By using square, triangular or rectangular die openings, bristle tufts of corresponding sections'may also be produced. v

The length of the tufts may be controlled so that short or long tufts may be produced as may be desired.

Each of the tufts is a complete self-sustaining unit inasmuch as all of the fibers or bristles making up the tuft are fused together at one end to form a substantially unitary knot thereon. These bristles may be readily assembled in a completed brush back and fused or cemented thereto to form the completed brush.

For a better understanding of the present invention, reference may be had to the accom panying drawing, in which: j-

Fig. 1 is ayview in side elevation of a typical form of device embodying and for practising the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a view in longitudinal section the device shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view in elevation of a gripping devic for advancing a bundle of fibers;

Fig. 4 is a view in elevation of the device with the gripping elements, thereof rotated relatively to illustrate the manner in which the bundle of fibers is gripped;

through Fig. 5 is a view in section taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a view in section taken on line 6-6 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 7 is a view in section taken on line 1-4 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 8 is a view in section taken on line 8-8 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 9 is a view in section taken on line 9-9 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 10 is an end view of the device shown in Fig. 1 looking toward the left-hand end of the device.

The form of the invention disclosed herein is made up of a plurality of cooperating parts which will be described first generally and thereafter in greater detail. As best shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the device includes a guide tube In through which a. bundle of fusible fibers F are drawn by means of a gripping member I l. The end of the bundle is advanced through a die member i2 having an opening l3 therein of a desired cross-section and size. The opening l3 may be circular, polygonal or any other shape, depending upon the final cross-sectional shape and size of the bristle tuft to be produced. The bundle of fibers F is fed intermittently through the die opening 13 into an opening l4 in a die plate l5 which serves to support and shape the end of the bundle. The die plate 15 is movable toward and away from the die member is and rotates relative to it. The gripping member ll advances the fibers far enough that they will extend slightly beyond the die plate l5 so that the ends of the fibers in the bundle can be fused by means of a heating element l6 which can be advanced toward the die plate [5 or retracted away from it to the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2. As the heating element l6 moves toward the die plate l5, the latter is moved to the left substantially into contact with the end of the die element 12 in order to hold the bristles firmly. As the fibers are fused together, they also overflow slightly the edge of the die opening I4. When the heating element i6 is retracted to the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the plate I5 is moved to the right to draw out a predetermined length of the bundle of the fibers beyond the end of the die member 12. This projecting portion of the fiber bundle is then out 01f by means of a knife I! and the die plate I5 is then rotated to bring the aperture I4 containing the fused tuft into alignment with an ejecting plunger or pin l9 which advances with the heating element and pushes the tuft out of the aperture l 4.

The timed relation of the various elements is such that the bundle F is advanced immediately after the die plate has completed its rotary movement so that its end enters another die aperture M in the die plate 15 which is brought into alignment with the aperture l3 by the rotary movement of the die plate.

The above cycle of operations takes place repeatedly depending primarily upon the time required to fuse together the ends of the fibers in the bundle so that rate of production of a single machine is dependent only upon the rate of fusion of the fibers. The fibers F used in the operation are preferably of a fusible synthetic resin type and can be of any desired length or diameter depending upon the stiffness desired in the bristles of the tuft.

The various elements of the apparatus described above and their relation to each other are as follows:

The device includes a suitable framework 4 which may consist of a pair of iron bars 20 connected at their ends by means of channel members 2| and 22 at opposite ends thereof. The channel members 2| and 22 are mounted on a suitable table or platform 23.

The sizing and shaping die member [2 is mounted in an upright member 24 which is secured to the frame members 20 by means of bolts or in any other desired way.

The tubular member In for guiding the fiber bundle F is mounted in an upright member 25 also fixed to the side members 20.

The heating element [6 is mounted on an upright 26 which is provided with a flange 21 at its lower end which slides upon and is guided by the side rails 20 of the device for movement toward and away from the upright 24.

The die plate 15 is threaded on a shaft 28 which is slidable lengthwise in an opening 29 in the upright 26. Adjustment of the die plate 14 relative to the shaft may be accomplished by rotating the die plate to screw it along the shaft, and when in adjusted position, it is retained by means of a washer 30 and a lock nut 3i. The shaft 28 is provided with a non-circular end portion 32 which is slidably received in a shaft 33 which is rotatably supported in the uprights 24 and 25. The shaft 33 is retained against endwise movement to the left by means of a collar 34 and is provided with a ratchet member 35 which is keyed to the shaft 33. A cooperating ratchet member 36 is slidably and rotatably mounted on the shaft 33 and is urged toward the cooperating ratchet member 35 by means of a. spring 31 having its opposite ends connected to the ratchet member 36 and the upright 24.

The shaft 28 is moved toward the right by means of a collar 38 fixed thereto to the right of the upright 26 and to the left by means of another collar 39 fixed to the shaft to the left of the upright 26. A spring 46 is loosely mounted on this shaft 28 between the collar 39 and the upright 26 for a. purpose to be described.

The bundle of fibers F is advanced through the tube In and the apertures l3 and M by means of the gripping and advancing mechanism II best shown in Figs. 2, 3, 4, 5 and 8. This mechanism includes a block which is slidably mounted on a pair of rods 46 and 41 extending between the uprights 24 and 25. The block carries on its upper surface a friction pad 48 upon which rests a plate 49 that may be adjusted transversely of the block 45 and retained in adjusted position by means of a set screw 50 which extends through an arm 5| on the block 45 and engages the upper surface of the plate 49. The upper surface of the plate 49 carries another block 52 from which extends a pivot pin 53. The pivot pin 53 supports three plates 54, 55 and 55, which are provided with the apertures 51, 58 and 59 respectively through which the bundle of fibers F passes. Th central plate 55 is provided with a relatively broad but shallow notch 66 which in part is in alignment with narrower but deeper notches 6| in each of the plates 54 and 56. These notches are used to rock the plate 55 relative to the plates 54 and 56 in order to grip the bundle of fibers F between them. Rocking movement of the plate 55 is produced by means of a pointed camming member 62 which is mounted on a rod 53 extending through a flange or lug 64 which projects up from the block 45. Endwise movement of the rod 63 cams the central plate 55 around the pivot pin 53 to grip the fibers F, as best shown in Fig. 4. Th gripping and advanc- I 20 and the lever 455.

lower roller 67 which engages a cam member 68 mounted on the shaft 59. The shaft 69 is mounted in suitable bearings 10 and ll carried by the side rails 29, 2B and is driven by means of an electric motor 12 by means of the bevel gears 13. The motor 72 is mounted on'the table or platform 23. The follower roller 61 is retained in engagement with the cam (58 by means of a spring it which is connected to the side frame The upper end of the lever 65 is connected by means of an arm 15 to the shaft 63, the arm being rotatable relative to the shaft 53 but prevented from moving endwise of the shaft 63 by means of the collars l6 and ll.

As the motor l2 operates, the shaft 69 is rtateol as is the cam member 68 thereon with the result that the lever 55 rocks back and forth in a plane lengthwise of the frame, thereby reciprocating the shaft 63 and causing the gripping member l l comprising the plates 54, 55 and56 to open and close. As the plates open, as shown in Fig. 4, the bundle of fibers F is gripped preventing further rocking movement of th plate 55 and thereby causing these plates, together with the slide at, to advance toward the right, as viewed in Figs. 1 and 2. This movement to the right also advances the bundle of fibers F so that the end of the bundle is projected into an aperture It in the die plate [5. Upon counter-clockwise movement of the lever t5 under influence of the spring i i, th gripping plates 54, 55 and 56 are released and together with the slide, are moved to the left by engagement of the collar 73 with the flange 64 on the carriage. Jarring of the carriage 45 is reduced by means of a spring it interposed between the slide 45 and a collar 80 on the shaft til. In this way, the bundle of fibers is advanced intermittently but is released so that it can move in either direction during the rearward movement of the lever 65.

The heating element l6 and its sup-porting structure are advanced toward and retracted from the die plate by means of a crank disc 82 which is supported upon a vertical shaft 83, journalled between the sid frame elements 2i! and driven from the shaft 69 by means of a bevel gearing The timing of the crank is such that the heating element 16 is advanced toward the die plate It the gripping member I I is retracted toward the left. As the heating element advances toward the left, the upright engages the spring ll) on the shaft 28 and forces the die plate ii; toward the left almost into con tact with the upright 24. The spring has the additional function of permitting further movement of the heating element [6 to the left until it engages the die plate l5. As the heating element is retracted. after fusing the ends of the fibers together, the die plate i5 moves to the right by engagement of the upright 26 with the collar 38 and thus draws the bundle of fibers through the die l2 a distance depending upon the adjusted position of the collar 38. Thus, by adjusting the position of the collar 33, the length of the tuft or tufts can be varied.

Upon completion of this operation, the knife i'i severe the fused tuft. The knife, as best shown in Fig. 7, includes a generally trapezoidal cutting element 35 which is guidedin inclined guideways -85 andBl on theIright-hand face of the upright 24 so that the cutting edge 88 of the knife will shear oil the fiber bundle substantially flush with the face of the die member [2. Upward and downward movement of the knife is produced by means of a lever 89 which is supported at its right-hand end on a pivot bolt 90 and is connected to a link 9| near its opposite end. The link is connected at its lower end to another lever 92 which is pivoted on a downwardly extending arm 93 secured to the bottom end of the upright 24. The lever s2 is rocked by means of a cam 94 mounted on the shaft 69 and is maintained in contact with the cam by means of a spring 95 connected to the lever 92 and the upright 24.

The lever 89 is provided with a series of apertures 96a along its length permitting the link 9| to be connected to it at different distances from the pivot 96 to vary the stroke of the knife 55. The timing of the cam 94 is such that it moves downwardly to sever the bristle clump after the die plate [5 has moved to the right a distance equal to the length of the finished bristle tuft.

When the tuft has been severed by the blade 85, the die plate 55 is rotated 90 clockwise to bring it into position for discharge of the bristle tuft from the die it and to align another die aperture with the aperture it in the die member 52. Rotation of the die plate is accomplished by the mechanism disclosed best in Figs. 1 and 6 of the drawings.

ratchet member 3% described above has a chain 95 wound partially around its hub. The chain is connected to a lever be supported on a bracket 9? extending inwardly from one of the side rails 20} near the drive shaft 69. The drive shaft 65 is provided with a cam member 98 which bears against the lever 96 and rocks it countei clockwise to the dotted line position,

thereby partially unwinding the chain from the ratchet member 36 and causing a 90 rotation of the shaft by means of the cooperating ratchet member The spring 3? described above is connected at its opposite ends to the ratchet member 355 and the upright 2 so that it winds up as the chain unwinds. Accordingly, when the cam 8 rotates toward the position shown in Fig. 6, the spring rotates the ratchet member 35 back toward the full line position ready to rotate the die plate l5 another 90 degrees.- In order to prevent the ratchet member 35 from returning with the ratchet member 36. the ratchet member 3E3 is provided with four teeth 99 spaced 9e apart which cooperate with a pawl member me which is supported on a pivot pin iili on the upright The pawl member it!) not only prevents reverse rotation of the die plate i5 but positions it accurately so that the die openings 5% it are alignment. It also positions a die aperture containing a bristle tuft in alignment with the punch it which ejects the finished tuft from the die plate !5. The punch l9 includes a plunger member Hi2 comprising a r shaft its having a conical head portion Hi thereon and a forwardly projecting cylindrical punch member me of small enough diameter to permit it to pass comple ely through any of the die openings i l in the plate If. The shaft "33 is supported in a lug lllii on upright it? fixed to the base 2'! which also supports the upright 25 on which the heating element is mounted. The punch member EM, ilifi is slidably supported on the shaft H53 and is normally projected to the left by means of a spring 58 so'that when the conical head portion I04 strikes the die plate I5, it will permit further movement of the carriage or support 21 without damage to any of the parts.

The heating element I6 is also supported resiliently by the standard or upright 25, spaced collars Hi9 and H being mounted on the heating element to limit its movement relative to the upright 26. A spring HI is mounted between the collar I09 and the upright 26 permitting movement of the heating element is to the right relative to the upright 26.

From the preceding description, it will be apparent that I have provided a device whereby bristle tufts of substantially any desired length may be formed from a bundle of fusible fibers. Inasmuch as the steps of fusing the fibers, severing the tufts and discharging them are carried out in timed sequence, a very high rate of production of the tufts may be attained. By simple adjustment of the device and interchange of die members, tufts may be produced of different lengths and of different cross-sections, for example, circular, triangular, hexagonal, square or the like, as may be required.

While the device described above is the preferred form of the invention, it will be understood that it is susceptible to considerable variation. Thus, instead of an electric heating element, as disclosed herein, the heating element may be heated by gas or other fuel, Equivalent drive elements for the device may be used so long as the timing of the various elements thereof is essentially the same. Therefore, the form of the invention disclosed herein should be con sidered as illustrative and not as limiting the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A device for making bristle tufts from a plurality of elongated fusible fibers comprising means for supporting a bundle of elongated fusible fibers, means to advance said bundle endwise relative to said supporting means, a die member for receiving and shaping the leading end of the bundle of fibers, said die member being movable toward and away from said supporting means, a heating member movable toward said die memher to engage the leading end of said bundle to fuse the ends of said fibers therein together and temporarily secure them to said die member,

means to move said die member away from said supporting means to draw a portion of said bundle of a predetermined length from said supporting means and means adjacent to said supporting means for severing from said bundle of fibers said portion to form a bristle tuft.

2. A device for making bristle tufts comprising a sizing and shaping member, means for feeding a bundle of elongated fusible fibers intermittently into said member so that the end of said bundle projects beyond said member, a heating member movable into engagement with said projecting end of said bundle while it is in said sizing and shaping member to fuse the projecting ends of said fibers together, means on the opposite side of said sizing and shaping memher from said heating means for severing said bundle at a predetermined distance from the fused ends of said fibers and means to adjust the spacing between said sizing and said shaping member and said severing means to enable sections of different lengths to be severed from said bundle.

3. A device for making bristle tufts comprising a first member having an aperture therethrough of predetermined shape and size, means for advancing a bundle of fusible fibers through said aperture to shape said bundle to a desired cross-section, a second member having an aperture therein for receiving the leading end of said bundle, means for moving said second member relative to said first member, a heating member, means for moving said heating member toward said second member to engage the leading end of said bundle and fuse the ends of said fibers together, means adjacent to said first member for severing said bundle to form a bristle tuft supported in said second member, and means for discharging said bristle tuft from said second member.

4. A device for making bristle tufts comprising a first member having an aperture therein, a second movable member having an aperture therein, means for moving said second member to move the aperture therein, into and out of alignment with the aperture in said first member, means for advancing a bundle of elongated fibers through the apertures in said first and second members when said apertures are aligned, a heating member, means for moving the heating memher into engagement with the leading end of the bundle adjacent to said second member to fuse together the ends of the fibers in the leading end of the bundle, a cutter adjacent to said first member for severing the end portion of said bundle, and means for ejecting the severed end portion from said second member when the aperture therein is out of alignment with the aperture in the first member.

5. A device for making bristle tufts comprising a first member having an aperture therein, a second member adjacent to said first member and movable toward and away from and rotatable relative to said first member, said second member having an aperture therein movable into and out of alignment with the aperture in said first member, means for advancing a bundle of fusible fibers through the aperture in said first member into the aperture in the second member when said apertures are in alignment, a heating member, means for moving said heating member toward and away from said second member, means responsive to movement of said heating member to move said second member toward the first member, said heating member being engageable with the leading end of said bundle to fuse together the fibers in the aperture in the second member and form a knot releasably connecting said bundle to said second member, means for moving said second member away from said first member to draw a predetermined length of said bundle through said first member, means adjacent to said first member to sever said predetermined length or' said bundle from said bundle, means for rotating said second member to move said severed length out of alignment with the remainder of the bundle, and means for ejecting said severed length from the aperture in said second member.

6. A device for making bristle tufts comprising a first member having an aperture therein, a second member adjacent to said first member and movable toward and away from and rotatable relative to said first member, said second member having an aperture therein movable into and out of alignment with the aperture in said first member, means for advancing a bundle of fusible fibers through the aperture in said first member into the aperture in the second member when said apertures are in alignment, a heating member, means for moving said heating member toward and away from said second member, means responsive to movement of said heating member to move said second member toward the first member, said heating member being engageable with the leading end of said bundle tofuse together the fibers in the aperture in the second member and form a knot releasably connecting said bundle to said second member, means for moving said second member away from said first member to draw a predetermined length of said bundle through said first member, means adjacent to said first member to sever said predetermined length'of said bundle from said bundle, means for rotating said second member to move said severed length out of alignment with the remainder of the bundle, and means movable with said heating member for ejecting said severed length from the aperture in said second member.

7. A device for making bristle tufts comprising a first member having an aperture therein a second member adjacent to said first member and movable toward and away from and rotatable relative to said first member, said second member having a plurality of apertures therein movable into and out of alignment with the aperture in said first member, means for advancing a bundle of fusible fibers through the aperture in said first member into an aperture in the second member when said apertures are in alignment, a heating member, means for moving said heating member toward and away from said second member, means responsive to movement of said heating member to move said second member toward the first member, said heating member being engageable with the leading end of said bundle to fuse together the fibers in the aperture in the second member and form a knot releasably connecting said bundle to said second member, means for moving said second member away from said first member to draw a predetermined length of said bundle through said first member, means adjacent a said first member to sever said predetermined length of said bundle from said bundle, means for rotating said second member to move said severed length out of alignment with the remainder oi the bundle, and means movable with said heating member for ejecting said severed length from the aperture in said second member.

8. A device for making bristle tufts from a bundle of elongated fusible fibers comprising Jeans for severing sections from the leading end of said bundle, a die member having an aperture therein to receive the leading end of said bundle, means to move the die member toward and away from said severing means, a heating member movable relative to said die member to engage the leading end of said bundle and fuse the leading ends of the fibers in the bundle together, and means for adjusting the movement of the die member relative to the severing means to control the length of the sections severed from the leading end of the bundle.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,383,880 Swann Dec. 1, 1942 2,341,823 Smith Feb. 15, 1944 2,433,156 Dodge Mar. 23, 1948 2,531,482 Starr Nov. 28, 1950 

